High-pressure meter



, Nov. 14, 1944.

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Nov. 14, 1944. w. E. STEEN 2,362,778

HIGH PRESSURE METER Original Filed Aug; 1, 1 940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 70 7/ 7 s 75 4o I -7 15 4 F W .2 a G4 5;: /a 28 v .LLU u 7 J5 45 45 46 46 .frzuezzkr Patented Nov. 14, 1944" mon rrtnsscnu METER T '4 William EU- St'een, Pasadena, (Ca-lit,- ass'lgnor "to :Smith Meter Company, Los'i-Angeles, Calif ,a

corporation of California 1 ()r;igina'l application .August, 1940,. Serial No.

349,367. .Divi'dedand this application July 21,1

"This inventionJ m r for measmul ing "the'fflo w of fluids, and is :more particularly 1942, Serial No; 45 ,707 7 H 1" claim, :(01. 73-459),

concernedwith a constructionwhich adapts said "meters for'safe, efficient operation under high pressures. V v w While the invention is in'no way limitedth'e'reto,' it is useful with --particular advantage in connectionwith' meters for measuring theifiow higl-ilyyolatil tluids; such 'asgasoline. I

- This application is a division of'iny copending application entitled Spindle packing; filed hug. 1,1940, Serial No. 349,367; issued "Sept:"2 2', 1'942 a-s PatentNo. 2296,5512 f a j in essence, "the invention involves the use ':of

I a double-walled -housing, with the measuring chamber and rotor mechanism, proper, contained within the inner wall with the provision of means "for :op'eratively connecting "the rotor mechanism 1j2, b.ottom plate 13 and top plate 14.. A coaxial shartl5 issu ported inhous'ing H and carries, :for rotation, a rotor .l6 which, in tur'n','.supports blades I 1. A stationary cam 18 co'acts with blade rollers 1'9 to cause the blades togshuttle "transversely to flow channel 20 due 'to'rotor-rotation as set up by flow of fluid "in 'a clockwise direction as to' the recording or registering mechanism mounted-ion the out-side of "the outerhouslng. By this "expedient-a st-andard'meter adapted to" With,- stand usual pressures, may be mounted bodily within the bore-of an ou-ter 'hea vy casing, [the housing of the standard meter providing the in- 1 "her wall of the double-walled structure. 1

The measuring chamber and flow channel are rovided within theinner-housi-ng (that =is, the housing of the standard meter) but the inlet -to housing walls. The -outlet"f-rom the flow channel I the flow chamber opens to the space between opens directly to the main outletof the outer casing, but there is provided 'a' 'spring loaded valve between the outletside of the =flow"cha-nnel of the'tstandard meter and the space between hous ings,:;so, in the event the rotor mechanism {becomes jammed or in anyway retarded in "its rota- 'tion; the vfluid *may iby -pass that mechanism through the :space between :housing'sf i Other objects sahdfeatures .of novelty w'l be line 3--3 of Fig.2.

Though this is not controlling on the invention 1 the meter mechanism generally indicated at I0 is illustrated as being similar, in principle, to certain of the meters shown in Patent No. 2,207,182

dated July 9, 1940, and entitled Fluid flow mechanism. This mechanism is made upof a housing indicated at H consisting of a cylindrical barrel viewed in Fig. 1. v

an 'arcuate 'abutment 2| secured to barrel .l2 and projecting across channel 211,.separates the inlet'and outlet 22 and 23., respectively, of that flow channel, the blades .and cam being so constructed thatea'ch blade is radially retracted as it passes 'theabutment, all as will be readily understood. v

a The measuring chamber of the meter is that portion'M of the flow channel which'extends be. tween two fu'jlly projected blades when they are in the position of Fig. 1', it being understood that any registering mechanism taking its power from rotor 16, is, n effect a rotor revolution counter,

desired volumetric unit and innconsonanc'e with the volume of fluid represented by thenamount passed through the measuring chamberper revolu'tion of the rotor.

The drive connection between .theirotor and the registering mechanism indicated at B, so .far as itsis carried by the structure thus far described, embodies a pinion 24 on rotor 1 6 mesh-- ing with a gear 25 on shaft '26, the latter .extending vertically through the packing '21 in head 14. The upper end of shaft 26 carries a changegear 2.8 meshing with gear 29 supported for no; tation on stud shaft 30, the latter being carried in "axial alinement with shaft 15 by cap 3|. In the illustrated embodiment, though this is not limitative on the invention, shaft 15 is stationarily held to housing 'I I Gear 2 9 carries one-half of a loose clutch generally indicated at 33. It comprises a hub 34 carrying diametrically opposite clutch pins 35.

The outer casing of the meter is indicated generallyat i315 and consists of a bowl 31-having a 'cylindric wall-portion 38 and a bottom portion 39. A removable head is indicated at 40, attachment studs and bolts being shown at 4|. An inlet opening 42 throughbowl-boss 43 opens to the interior of the bowl, being in angular registration with but spaced radially from inlet 22. The outlet opening 44 of the-bowl is indirect communication with outlet 23.

I With head 40 removed, the entire meter-mechanism I0 may be lowered to place within bowl 31, in which position the meter-mechanism and liadial thrust screws 54 are threaded through wall 38 01 the bowl at a point approximately di-' ametrically opposite boss 50, serving to snugly position housing II against boss 50 andlugs 5| so the previously mentioned finished faces of the members are in tight arcuate engagement, thus insuring a normal flow from outlet 23 through outlet 44 and holding housing ll against horizontalshift within the bowl. tend into directly overlying relation with shoulders 55 at the bottom of slots 56 provided in flanges 53, thus serving to hold housing ll down with legs 45 in snug engagement with bosses 46, though the clamping effect of the screws in a radial direction also aid as hold-down means.

Lock screws 54' may be threaded inv behind screws 54, and the enlarged bores 55 through which access may be had to the screws, are closed by threaded plugs 56'. A drain plug 51' may be provided in the base 39.

It will be seen that fluid entering inlet 42 will fill the space S between housing II and housing 36 but its only free passage of flow will be through inlet 22, flow passage 20 and outlets 23, 44, the flow through this course acting on blades 11 to rotate the rotor and thus, through the drive connection previously specified, driving gear 29 and clutch member 33.

An opening 5! is made through the barrel 12 of housing ll adjacent port 23. Arranged in this opening and bolted at 58'to barrel I2 is a valve cage 59 carrying a valve head 60 on stem 6|. A spring 62 acts between the cage and stem head 63 in a manner constantly tending to hold head or stopper 60 on the cage seat 64.

Under normal conditions, spring-loaded stopper 60 will remain closed and fluid in passage 20 will merely pass by the valve and out through outlets 2344. However, should the rotor jam or be unduly retarded, the pressure within space S will be built up over and above the pressure of the fluid between abutment 2| and the next adjacent projected blade to the right thereof, and the preponderant pressure in space S will thus open valve 60 and the fluid from that space may thus pass through outlets 23-44. The passage of the fluid through this course is, in effect, a by-passage around the rotor and thus permits the rotor to be stalled without danger of damaging or wrecking it, as would otherwise be the case. i

It will be seen that the angular spacing between Screws 54 also export 23 and valve is less than the angular spacing between that port and the next adjacent fully projected blade II, so it is assured that, irrespective of the position of the rotor, the bypass will always be eflective if the rotor stalls.

On top of head 40 is bolted ahousing or cap 10 which, in turn, carries externally the registering mechanism R, the lower end of the register actuating shaft being indicated at H and carrying cross pins 12 making up one-half of the loose clutch indicated at 13. The drive of clutch 13 from clutch member 33 must, of course, pass through head 40, and since the space S between heads 14 and 40 is in communication with space 'S with the result that fluid fills the space S,

packing means must be provided for preventing the leakage of fluid around the drive connection as it passes through head 40. This means is indicated generally at 14, the details thereof being shown and claimed in the aforementioned copending application. It will suffice here to say that packing means 14 is provided about spindle 15, the latter having end-heads l6 and 11. Head 16 is the upper half of clutch 33, while head 11 is the lower half of clutch 13.

Head 16 is provided with pins 84 which are adapted to be engaged by pins 35 when gear 29 is rotated, though there is suflicientcapacity for play between pins 35 and 84 to give proper looseclutch characteristics and to provide for any misalinement of clutch members.

While I have shown and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, various changes in design, structure and arrangement may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claim.

I claim:

In a fluid flow mechanism, a housing comprising an inner wall and an outer wall, each wall being provided with an inlet and an outlet, said walls being spaced apart to provide a fluid receiving space therebetween, a rotor supported for rotation within the inner wall, said rotor having angularly spaced blades adapted to shuttle radially to and from positions of projection across a flow channel defined within said inner wall, the inlet and outlet of the inner wall opening to said flow channel, the inlets'of both walls opening to said space, the outlets of the two walls being in direct connection so fluid in said flow channel is normally adapted to flow directly out through both outlets, and a normally closed valve in the inner wall and spaced angularly from the inner wall outlet a distance less than the angularly measured distance between the inner wall outlet and the next adjacent fully projected blade, spring means normally and yieldingly holding the valve closed, said valve being adapted to open automatically to permit passage of fluid from said space into the flow channel and thence to the outlet of the outer wall when a predetermined pressure differential exists at opposite sides of the valve.

WILLIAM E. STEEN. 

